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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25927600">Walk In My Shoes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoeticPanda11/pseuds/PoeticPanda11'>PoeticPanda11</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Pegoryu Week 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Be Careful What You Wish For, Best Friends, Bisexual Persona 5 Protagonist, Bisexual Sakamoto Ryuji, Boys In Love, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Good Boy Sakamoto Ryuji, I'm Bad At Summaries, Let Sakamoto Ryuji Say Fuck, Love, M/M, One Shot, POV Sakamoto Ryuji, POV Third Person, Pegoryu 2020, Persona 5 Protagonist Needs a Hug, Pining, Role Reversal, Short One Shot, Time Loop, Unrequited Love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:35:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,040</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25927600</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoeticPanda11/pseuds/PoeticPanda11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ren couldn’t do it. They couldn’t do it. They lost the fight and they were going to die.</p><p>Day 4 of Pegoryu Week: Role Reversal prompt</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amamiya Ren/Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Pegoryu Week 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1874860</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>73</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Walk In My Shoes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/15287445">Only A Matter Of Time</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/toomanyunfinishedfics/pseuds/toomanyunfinishedfics">toomanyunfinishedfics</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Omg I know this is super late but this idea literally came to me after the day passed.</p><p>But anyway, this fic was inspired by another work called Only A Matter Of Time by the author of  toomanyunfinishedfics</p><p>Seriously, go check out their New Game+ series! Their writing is so good and you will love the rollercoaster of emotions in that series.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Joker collapsed to his knees, breathing ragged, hand clutching his side to stop his wound from bleeding. Around him are his teammates laying still. This battle was unwinnable. He was <em>so</em> close. So, so, <em>so</em> close to finally winning this game against the false god that trapped him in this time loop. Yaldabaoth laughed at the Trickster’s crushed hopes.</p><p>Losing energy fast, Ren fell to the ground. His grip on his wound had relaxed and the blood stained his grey vest. Another failed attempt upon many. He wanted to cry. He couldn’t take another repeat of lost contacts of his friend and confidants.</p><p>He couldn’t bare another timeline of not being with Ryuji and having the blonde’s memories wiped of their time together, whether they were in a relationship or not.</p><p>To his right was Ryuji; his best friend, his right hand man, his lover from the original timeline. The fallen track star was on his back, wounded and tired from the long battle. A bright purple light started forming above the Phantom Thieves; Yaldabaoth was to finish them off once more with a Megidolaon.</p><p>With the remaining strength he had, Ren reached out to Ryuji’s outstretched hand. It hurt to move but, he needed the comfort of dying with him. The light was getting brighter and Ren gently brushed against the faux blonde’s fingers.</p><p>Ryuji stirred awake, everything hurt in his body. He groggily opened an eye but not too much, as the light blinded him. He felt something warm on his ungloved hand. He slowly turned his head over to the right to see Ren holding his hand. His best friend had a huge blood stain on his grey vest and it seemed to be growing bigger. His eyes were half lidded and his breathing getting hoarser.</p><p>It hurt to see Ryuji with a huge gash on his forehead, bleeding down the other half of his face. That was the final strike that let the dam break. Tears streamed down Ren’s face, sobbing quietly.</p><p>“R… Ryu… ji…” Each choked out sob sent a jolt of pain on his side. “I’m s… sorry…” He gripped Ryuji’s hand with all he had. “I’m… s-scared…”</p><p>Tears fell out of the corner of Ryuji’s opened eye. It hurt to see his best friend so crushed of hope and lying wounded. Ryuji clutched Ren’s hand back and with his own remaining energy, he shuffled slowly to get closer to him. Pain coursed through his body but he powered through, letting out pained grunts and hisses. Ren’s eyes widened slightly at what he was doing.</p><p>For what felt like forever, Ryuji finally closed the gap between them. He smiled back weakly, showing off that toothy grin Ren loves so much. “’M sorry… too… Ren…” His breathing is harsher now as well. “But… ‘m right… here… like… I said… I would… be…”</p><p>Ren’s tears blurred his vision of Ryuji. This was different from all the failed attempts in the battle against the god. This broken and weak smile of the Ryuji of this timeline would haunt him for the rest of eternity. Another thing to add to the list of many things that haunt the wild card user with each repeat.</p><p>But… it was nice and comforting, even for only a few moments before they met their demise.</p><p>Mustering enough strength, Ryuji flipped to lie on his side while gritting his teeth and hissing in pain as he did so. Using his free hand, he let it rest on Ren’s back in an attempt to cover him from the final attack.</p><p>“You don’t… gotta… worry…” He breathed out and opened his eye, softening his facial features to that same weak smile. “I’ll… be with ya… till the end… Renren…”</p><p>Everything was getting blurry. Ren was losing consciousness. He nodded slowly to Ryuji’s words until he closed his eyes, submitting to repeating the timeline.</p><p>Ryuji wasn’t fairing any better. His vision was getting blurry too but he hoped he could’ve put Ren at ease in his final moments. The bright light was at its peak and he soon closed his one eye, too bright to keep it open.</p><p>“Wish... I could’a... saved... you...”</p><p>As he breathed his last breath, his one regret was not being able to confess his feelings to him.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <strong>April 11, 20XX</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>“So… you’re a second year, huh? We’re the same grade then.”</p><p>“Oh… is that so?”</p><p>“Yeah. You a transfer student? Don’t think I’ve seen ya around campus.”</p><p>“Ah, y-yeah. That’s right.” He nods.</p><p>“Right…” He pauses for a moment then turns his back to him, looking at the sky. “The rain ain't so bad. We should hurry or else we’ll be late. Follow me, I know a shortcut."</p><p>“O-Okay…”</p><p>A familiar headache made him wince slightly but Ryuji walked ahead. He could hear the boy’s footsteps catch up to him as he followed him from behind. A determined look was plastered on the blonde’s face as they walked.</p><p><em>This time for sure, I’ll break outta this damn time loop and take down that effin’ god.</em> Ryuji thought.</p><p>When Ryuji woke up, he presumed to have died with everyone at the final battle against the false god and that he was in either hell or heaven. But he woke up to a familiar velvet blue prison ward, run by two twin girls and an old looking geezer with a freakishly long nose as their ‘Master’.</p><p>He had learned from Igor that because he was so close to Ren and that he wishes he could save him from the time loop, Igor handed him a contract that if he wishes to break Ren free from his repeating fate, he would have to take his role and complete it to the fullest of which he could not.</p><p>Ryuji now wielded the wild card.</p><p>He became the leader of the Phantom Thieves in each timeline since that encounter.</p><p>His fate was sealed: the Chariot became the Fool.</p><p>
  <em>I don’t regret signin’ that contract. I don’t regret goin’ through this pain you endured. As long as you’re free and you don't remember all that trauma, that’s good enough for me. I’ll do whatever it effin’ takes to finish what ya started, Renren.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>I swear I will.</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Things to know:<br/>*Ren told Ryuji about his time loop problem in the first part.<br/>*They're just best friends in the first part of the fic, secretly pined for each other<br/>*Ryuji has already gone through a lot of timelines at the second part so he knows Igor is actually Yalde</p><p>Again, go check out the fic that inspired this! If you love Pegoryu, you will love that series!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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